I'm talking about the Kingsville Ohio T/A. It's on I-90, exit 235. It is, I would say, about half way between Cleveland OH and Erie PA, near Lake Erie but far enough away to where you can't see it from the road (you can see it at one point in PA and the view is amazing!). It's actually on the way out of Ohio, there are a few truck stops near-ish the border. Um, it's an older model store. It has that old T/A look and feel to it. I think the showers are upstairs (which are remodeled and very nice, btw)
But let's talk food! On the way into the restaurant they were promoting their special dish: Whitefish Monterrey. Sounds interesting, sounds like it could be good, why not I'll give it a shot. Besides, it's the local specialty item so, really, for myself and the blog I have to try it.
As far as fish dishes go, it's not exactly heart healthy. Fish is supposed to be good for you and they found a way to make it totally bad for you and cause a very stern lecture from your cardiologist. Well honey, pass me the glycerin, because this dish was incredible!
So what is Whitefish Monterrey? Well it's a whitefish covered in mayo and pepperjack cheese with some bacon on the bottom that they shove into a broiler until it's bubbly and then slide it onto a plate with some rice and garlic bread.
Since I'm sure you didn't catch it before, let me say it again. This dish was awesome. It was cooked just right, the flavors were yummy and tasty. The bacon on the bottom I didn't know about so that was either a surprise or something the cook did so the fish wouldn't stick to the broiler? I was offered tartar sauce but refused because the mayo and the cheese worked so well that nothing extra was needed. This is, hands down, one of the best things I've eaten from a truck stop restaurant.
But let me criticize one thing here: I think they missed a great opportunity and it's probably because their hands are tied with the way the company runs the restaurant and they're not allowed to make outside decisions. I feel this dish, while very very good, could have been made better had they used a fish native to the Lake Erie area. I mean, the lake is like 10 minutes away, and I'm sure Bass, Perch, Pike and/or Walleye could be found for a fairly good price at a local fish market. Any of those locally caught fish would have probably made this dish even better, but alas, I'm sure the chef and restaurant owner aren't allowed to go outside the norm and were stuck using the same Whitefish they use for their other fish dishes.
That's one thing I've picked up from watching some of these cooking competition shows and reality shows: always buy local if you can. It will be fresher, it will have a better taste and the cost will be comparable or less. But like I said, I'm sure their hands are tied and aren't allowed to do so. :(
In the meantime, if you're in the area or passing through the area, please stop and try the Whitefish Monterrey because it blew me away how good it was. I loved it. Sadly I couldn't get seconds. Or maybe I could but I was too full. I forget.
GO EAT IT!
(they're open 24-hours, you could go now if you wanted)
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